Water heater



Nov. 11, 1952 n. L. RAYMOND WATER HEATER 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 8. 1947 INVENTOR. Dapid LRag mmfi ATTYJ Nov. 11, 1952 0.1.. RAYMOND 2,617,391

WATER HEATER Filed July 8, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. Y Y David L.Ra1 .mond B mu 0mm 7' ATZYS.

, Nov. 11, 1952 D. 1;. RAYMOND 2,617,391

WATER HEATER Filed July 8, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 1+ 4 INVENTOR. 7? fir 6 d 1 DauicLL.Ra ymond ATTYS.

Patented Nov. 11, 1952 WATER HEATER David L. Raymond, South Euclid, Ohio, assignor to Perfection Stove Company, Cleveland, Ohio,

a corporation of Ohio Application July 8, 1947, Serial No. 759,588

7 Claims.

" This invention relates to water heaters. It has to do especially with the class of water heaters in'which a water tank and a combustion device are combined in a. single structure, and, more particularly, to a water heater of said class in which the combustion device consists 'of a liquid fuel burner.

According to the invention, the water tank, with the burner located beneath it, is enclosed in a casing that is spaced from the tank; and one important object of .the invention is to increase the efficiency of the burner; and at the same time maintain the casing relatively cool, byentrainingthe air, supplied to the burner for "combustion purposes, through, and diflusing it in, the space between the casing and tank.

Another objectof the invention is to provide a construction in which the products of combustion are distributed over areas of the tank I in a'manner to utilize an extremely high peroentage of the thermal units of said products in-the heating of the water.

Another object is to provide a construction for water heaters of the above class that is very substantial and durable; that is relatively simple'and is especially convenient of assembly, and wherein the burner is readily accessible for lighting and cleaning [T 'fi j Other objects and advantages will become apparent as this description proceeds andin the course of which reference is made to the accompanying drawings wherein like parts are designatedby like characters throughout the several views.

in'the drawings; Fig. lis a perspective-view o-i- 1a-water' heater embodying the invention; Fig

2-1 is a fragmentary rear 'elevational view of the same; Fig.3 is a. central vertical transverse section substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 6; Fig. 4 is a central vertical section from front to rear, as indicated by the line 4--4 of Fig. 5; Figs. 5 and 6 are horizontal sections on the respective lines 55 and 6-6 of Fig. 3; Fig. 7 is a sectional detail, taken on the line 'l-"| of Fig. 6; and Fig. 8 is a fragmentary perspective view of the outer end of the cleaner for the oil supply tube, showiilg. the hanger in which the handle of the cleaner is engaged when the cleaner is not in use.

The water'tank, designated generally by the" reference numeral I, is made up of a cylindrical peripheral wall 2, a, dome-like top 3 that has a cylindrical edge flange 4 which fits within the upper, end of the cylindrical wall 2, and a domelike bottom 5 provided with an edge flange 6 that is' engaged with the inner side' of the -wall 2 a substantial distance above the lower end at Leak-proof connections are 'made.

the latter. between said top and bottom and the peripheral wall of the tank, as by welding. Extended through and closely fitting central apertures of the top 3 and bottom 4 are the upper and lower ends of a flue 10 to which said top and bottom are welded. Disposed within the lower end of the flue I0 is a baflle I2 having a central aperture l3. The baflle consists of a suitably formed apertured disc .or plate and is spaced from the lower end of the flue by supports ii that consist of,

strips of metal that are welded at their upper ends to a skirt of the baflle I2 and have their.

lower ends turned out beneath the lower end of the flue and tack welded thereto.

situated within the space below the bottom 5 and surrounded by the lower end of the cylindrical wall 2, and which space shall be referred to hereinafter as the burner compartment, is a. combustion device. This device, in the present instance, consists of a bowl type liquid fuel burner. The burner bowl is designated l5, and secured, as by welding, to the outwardly flanged upper end of the peripheral wall of the bowl is the lower flanged end of an annular top wall i6 which has a relatively large central opening surrounded by a, downwardly andinwardly formed lip l8. Connected to the top wall 16, through the medium of a suitable number of spacers I9, is an upwardly flared throat member 20. The throat member has a central opening that registers with that of the top wall l6 and is surroundedbye depending flange 2|. The assembly includmg the burner bowl and throat member is fastened. to a. downwardly tapering burner bowl support.i23,.by means of a suitable numberpf bolts 24. A peripheral flange25 of the burner bowl support 23 is tack welded to the inner side of the edge flanged of the tank bottom 5, and the joint between the burner bowl support and tank bottom is sealed with refractory cement,

designated 26. It will be seen, therefore, that- An opening in the front side of the peripheralwall 15 of the burner is surrounded by a flange 28 within which is secured, as by welding, the inner end of a so-called lighting tube 29 that is enlarged at its outer end. A plug 30 normally closes the lighting tube 29. The plug is shown as drawn from sheet metal with an enlarged.

outer end that fits within the corresponding end of the lighting tube 29, and it is formed for cooperation with projections 32 (Fig. 6) that extend inward from diametrically opposite parts of the enlarged end of the tube 29 when the plug is inserted and turned, all of which is in accordance with common practice. A sleeve 33 is secured within the outer end of the plug and has opposed notches 34 within which means may be engaged for turning the plug.

The bottom wall of the burner bowl I is formed with a depression 35, and an air tube 36 has its lower end sealed within a central opening of said depression. 40 is a so-called pilot. skirt which consists of a frusto-conical perforated wall of sheet metal, and supported centrally within said skirt is an air distributor 42 that is connected to the top of said skirt by a plurality'oi spokes 43 which have their inner and outer ends connected, as by welding, to the air distributor and the pilot skirt, respectively. A relatively large rectangular opening 45 is made in the lower front portion of the. wall 2 to afford access to the burner compartment.

The above described tank and burner assembly is supported on a base plate 58 with the lower end of the cylindrical wall 2 resting on the depressed marginal portion 5i of said plate. Substantially throughout the region enclosed by the wall 2, the base plate is elevated somewhat above the plane of the portion 5| whereon said wall rests, as appears from Figs. 3', 4 and 6, and generally triangular extensions 53 of the elevated area project toward the corners of the base plate and are accommodated, by notches 54 in the lower edge of the wall 2. The wall 2 is held down against the base plate by bolts 55 that. have hooked upper ends engaged through holes 56 in the wall 2. The threaded lower ends of said bolts extend through apertures in the base plate, and nuts 51 are applied to said ends, desirably with a lock washer 58 and a reinforcing washer 59 interposed between each nut. and the plate. The base plate is supported a suitable distance above the floor by legs 60. These legs are shown as constituted of threaded bolts that screw into nuts 6|, welded to the base plate, and the heads of which bolts bear on the floor. Such leg construction provides means for leveling the water heater and for compensating for any irregularities in the floor. The base plate, as best appears, from Fig. 6, is generally rectangular with rounded corners and it is surrounded by an upstanding flange 55.

Engaged. with the outer side of an upstanding edge flange 650i, the. base plate 50 is the lower edge. portion of the peripheral wall 86 of a casing that encloses the tank and burner assembly, and sustaining said wall 66 with its lower edge substantially flush with the underneath surface of the adjacent marginal portion of the base plate are clips 61 (Figs. 3 and 6). These clips are somewhat in the nature of Z-bars and have their base flanges welded or otherwise secured to the wall 66 and their other flanges engaged over the upstanding flange 65. The casing wall is fastened to the flange by a suitable number of screws 68. According to the arrangements shown, the clips 61 extend along the lateral sides of the structure, while some of the screws 68 are located on the rear side thereof, and others along the front side where they are ordinarily' concealed by a door, as will presently appear. A rectangular opening 15 in the lower front portion of the casing wall 65- registers with pipes 86 and 81.

the opening 45 of the wall 2. The casing wall is stiffened along the vertical sides of the opening 10 by inturned flanges, and is reinforced across the top of said opening by a stiffener 13 that is fastened to the wall by screws 14. The narrow portion of the wall 66, along the lower edge of said opening, is held straight by the upstanding flange 65 to which it is secured by certain of the previously mentioned screws 68. Connected to the casing wall along one side of the opening 10, by a hinge 15, is a door 16 that normally closes said opening and extends far enough above and below the same to conceal the screws adjacent the upper and lower sides of the opening. A handle 11 is attached to the door adjacent its edge remote from the hinge 15, and shown as secured to the inner side of the door by means 18 that fasten the handle to the door is a spring latch 19 that cooperates with the flange along the adjacent side of the opening 10 and serves to hold the door in closed position.

Situated near the bottom of the structure, and on the left hand side thereof as the same is viewed from the front, is a so-called constant level valve 80.. Said valve is supported by a bracket 8| that extends through an opening in the ad acent portion of the casing wall 65 and is secured by bolts 82 to the cylindrical wall 2. This constant level valve is standard equipment on many oil burning furnaces, space heaters, etc., and its construction and mode of operation are well known to those familiar with modern oil burning apparatus. Liquid fuel is supplied to the constant level valve from a suitable source (not shown) through a pipe 85, and communicative connection between said valve and the burner bowl is established through pipes 86 and 81, the inner end of the former being connected to the pipe 81, intermediate the ends of the latter, by a standard fitting 88. The inner end of the pipe 81 is curved upwardly and enters the bottom of the burner bowl within the area of the depression 35, while the outer end of said pipe is inclined upwardly and has applied thereto a cap 90 provided with an aperture through which a cleaning, element 9|, in the form of a tightly coiled spring, is reciprocable. The outer end of the cleaning element 9| has fastened to it a handle 92 in the form of a cross bar that is normally engaged within a bifurcated clip or hanger 93 (Figs. 4 and 8) that may be formed integral with the stiffener 12. When the cleaning element 91 is in retracted position with the head 92 engaged in the hanger 93, its opposite -end is. forwardly of the connection between the When it is desired to clean the pipe 81, the. door 16 is opened, the head 92 I disengaged from the hanger 93, and the cleaning element reciprocated.

Situated in the top of the casing wall 66 in slightly spaced relation thereto, and secured to said wall by a suitable number of screws 95, is a frame I00, said screws being engaged in openings in a depending peripheral flange I01 of said frame. The wall 66 has a depression adjacent each screw 95 that contacts the flange l0! and accommodates the head of the screw so as to dispose the latter within the plane of the outer surface of the wall, 66. The opening of the frame I00 is ample to receive the cylindrical wall 2 and, adjacent its corners, the frame is provided with diagonal, upstanding flanges [02 to the inner sides of which nuts H13 are welded. threaded through the nuts I03 are studs 104 which bear against the wall 2 of the water tank.

By virtueof the studs I04, the tank may be located and held centrally of the frame I00.

A, casing top, designated Ill], encloses the upper end of the water tank, and its peripheral wall is slightly expanded adjacent its lower edge so as to telescope over the upper end of the wall 66. The top I I is provided with a relatively large central opening I I2 for the accommodation of the flue I9, said opening being surrounded by a depending flange. A water inlet pipe I I5 is connected, through a standard fitting I I6, to the top of the tank on one side of the flue I0; and a pipe section lII continues downwardly from said fitting to near the bottom of the tank. A water outlet pipe I is connected to the top of the tank diametrically opposite the pipe H5. A pad I23 of heat insulating material occupies the space between the top 3 of the tank and the casing top III] and is provided with a central transversely elongated aperture I24 for the accommodation of the flue I0 and the waterinlet and outlet pipes. I Y The threadedinlet connection of a faucet I26 isextended through an aperture in the casing,

wall 66 and is screwed into a bushing that occupies a hole in the wall 2 adjacent the bottom of the tank. Said faucet may be used for draining the tank, or for drawing off water for various purposes.

A plurality of openings I30 (Fig. 2) are formed in the rear side of the casin wall 66 adjacent the top thereof for admitting air to the space between the casing and the water tank. Air so'admitted spreads more or less throughout said space:

and, descending, finally enters the burner compartment through the opening 45. Under the influence of the flue draft, a part of the entrained air enters the burner bowl through the perforations in the peripheral wall thereof and through the air tube 36 and distributor 42. The part of theair so admitted serves as primary air v when in the upper portion of the tank. As the-airad} mitted-through theopenings I30-passes down wardly' within the space between the casing and the tank, it will be preheated so as to increase its vaporizing effect upon the liquid fuel in the burner bowl and thus enhance the efliciency of the burner. Also, the presence of air in said space, admitted at atmospheric temperature, will reduce the heat interchange between the tank and casing wall, thereby to maintain the latter much cooler-than it otherwise would be.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a water heater construction, a base, a tubular wall resting upon and connected to the base in spaced relation to the edge thereof, a top joined to the upper end of said wall and a bottom joined to the inner side of said wall a substantial distance above the base, a combustion device between said bottom and base, a casing enclosing the tubular wall and having its lower end connected to the edge of the base, adjustable posi-,

tioning means surrounding and spacing the upper end of the tubular wall from the casing, the cas ing having air admitting means below said posi-.

tioning means and adjacent its upper end and the tubular wall having air admitting means adjacent its lower end, means for supplying fuel to thev combustion device, and water conducting means communicating with the space enclosed by the tubular Wall between said top and bottom for conveying water to and from said space.

2. In a Water heater construction, a base, a

tubular wall resting upon and connected to the base in spaced relation to the edge thereof, a top joined to the upper end of said wall and a bottom joined to the inner side of said wall a substantial'distance above the base, water conducting means communicating with the space enclosed by the tubular wall between said top and bottom for conveying Water to and from said space, a come bustion device between said bottom and base.

means for supplying fuel to said device, a casing enclosing the tubular wall and having its lower end connected to the edge of the base, aframesurrounding and spaced from the upper end of the tubular wall and attached to the casing, and studs adjustably carried by the frame and bearing against the tubular wall for spacing the latter from the surrounding portion of the casing, the casing having air admitting means adjacent its upper end below said frame, and the tubular wall having air admitting means adjacent its lower end.

38. In a water heater construction, a base characterized by a depressed marginal portion and" having an upstanding peripheral flange surrounding said portion, a tank including a tubular wall having its lower end engaged within said depressed marginal portion and connected to thebase in inwardly spaced relation to said flange,

a bottom joined to the inner side of saidwall a engaged with the outer side of the peripheral,

flange of the base and entirely concealing the latter, clips secured to the inner side of the casing and engaged with said flange for supporting the casing from the base, the casing having air admitting means adjacent its upper end and the tubular wall having air admitting means adjacent its lower end, and means for supplying fuel:

to the combustion device.

.4; In a water heater construction, a substantiallyrectangular base, a cylindrical wall arranged with its longitudinal axis vertical and having its lower end engaged with and connected to the base in spaced relation to the edge thereof, a top joined to the upper end of said wall and a bottom joined to the inner side of said wall a substantial distance above the base, a combustion device between said bottom and base, a casing corresponding in cross-sectional size and shape with the plan of the base, said casing surrounding the cylindrical wall and having its lower edge connected to the edge of the base, a substantially rectangular positioning frame surrounding the upper end of the cylindrical wall in spaced relation thereto and to which the surrounding portion of the casin is attached, said frame having upstanding diagonal flanges adjacent its corners, adjustable means carried by said flanges for engagement with the cylindrical wall, the casing having air admitting means adjacent its upper end below said frame and the cylindrical wall having air admitting means adjacent its lower end, means for supplying fuel to the combustion device, and water conducting means communicat ing with the space enclosed by the cylindrical wall between said top and bottom for conveying water to and from said space.

5. In a water heater construction, a base, a tank including a tubular wall resting upon and connected to the base in spaced relation to the edge thereof, an apertured bottom joined to the inner side of said wall a substantial distance above the base, a flue having its lower end joined to said bottom about the aperture thereof, a downwardly convergent apertured wall structure supported immediately below said bottom and across the interior of the tubular wall to provide a combustion chamber between itself and said bottom, a burner bowl suspended from sa'idwall structure in a. position to discharge the productsof combustion through its open top and through the aperture of said structure into the combustion chamber, and means for supplying liquid fuel to the burner, a casing enclosing and spaced from the tank and having its lower end connected to the edge of the base thereby to provide an annular space about said cylindrical wall substantially from top to bottom thereof, the casing being provided with air admitting means adjacent its upper end, and the tubular wall having means for admitting air from the space between said wall and the casing to the space occupied by the burner bowl.

6. In a water heater, a tank including a vertically arranged elongated cylindrical wall, a dome-likebottom inset a substantial distance above the lower end of said wall and sealed thereto, a fiue rising through the tank and opening at its lower end through said bottom substantially centrally thereof, a downwardly convergent wall structure extending across the space enclosed by the lower end of the cylindrical wall immediately beneath said bottom and dividing said space into a combustion chamber above the structure and a burner compartment therebelow, a burner bowl situated in said compartment, a casing enclosing and spaced from the tank, a base surmounted by said cylindrical wall and the casing and closing the bottom of the space betweenthem as well as the bottom of the burner compartment, the rear side of the casing having air admitting means adjacent the top thereof and the front side of the casing and the adjacent side of the cylindrical wall having relatively large openings that register and through which access is had to the burner compartment, a closure for the last mentioned opening of the casing, the burner bowl being provided with a lighting and cleanout opening within the area of the opening in the cylindrical wall.

7. In a water heater, a tank including a vertically arranged elongated cylindrical wall, a dome- 8 like bottom inset a substantial distance above the lower end of said wall and sealed thereto, a flue rising through the tank and opening at its lower end through said bottom substantially con-- said compartment and the combustion chamber communicate, a burner bowl supported within said compartment and arranged to deliver its products of combustion through the opening of said wall structure into the combustion chamber, a baffle consisting of an apertured plate disposed within and across the flue a short distance above the lower end thereof for retarding the upward passage of the products through the flue, a casing enclosing and spaced from the tank to provide an air circulating space about the aforesaid cylindrical wall substantially from top to bottom thereof, a base surmounted by said cylindrical wall and the casing and closing the space between them as well as the bottom of the burner compartment, the rear side of the casing having air admitting openings adjacent the top thereof, and the front side of the casing and the adjacent side of the cylindrical wall having relatively large openings through which access is had to the burner compartment, a door for closing said relatively large opening in the casing wall, the burner bowl being provided with a lighting and cleanout opening within the area of the opening in the cylindrical wall.

DAVID L. RAYMOND.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 176 Atwood Sept. 1'7, 1850 490,880 Mosely et al. Jan. 31, 1893 563,976 Lordier July 14, 1896 739,938 Smith Sept, 29, 1903 996,427 Reiss'ner et al. June 27, 1911 1,602,061 Wilcox s v Oct. 5, 1926 1,852,157 Hamilton "6-- Apr; 5, 1932 1,859,745 Morley May 24, 1932 1,862,630 Morrow June 14, 1932 2,160,994 Whitehurst June 6, 1939 2,162,620 Larsen June 13, 1939 2,214,543 Smoot Sept. 10, 1940 2,334,398 Farren et a1. 1 Nov. 16, 1943 2,364,791 Horne Dec. 12, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 681,013 France May 8, 1930 

